Press Release

2 November 2015

Fareham Today special edition outlines housing land pressures

Fareham is under greater pressure now than it has ever been to provide more land for housing for future generations and to accommodate changes to the way people live today and in the future.

Independent housing is now needed for three generations - an ageing population means children, parents and grandparents all need their own homes. Smaller family groups and more people living on their own also brings greater demand.

Fareham Borough Council has today (November 2) published a special edition of Fareham Today, which will be distributed to all households in the borough, explaining why the borough is facing greater pressure than before to find more land for housing.

The Plan for the rest of the borough now needs to be rolled forward by ten years, to 2036, to match the timescale of the Welborne Plan. This means land now needs to be found for at least 2,000 more homes in the period to 2036 than the Council had originally planned for the period up to 2026. This is on top of the 6,000 new homes that are already planned to be delivered at Welborne during that period.

The extra demand follows changes to the way the government determines how housing need should be assessed. It is not just Fareham - the Council is one of 12 local authorities that make up the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire, all of which have a duty to co-operate on issues such as meeting housing demand.

Doing nothing is not an option. If the land is not allocated by the Council it is likely that developments will be approved on appeal even if the Council refuses planning permission. If the land is allocated, the Council will be better able to defend its position against hostile planning applications.

The Council is due to make a call for sites over the next few months - asking landowners and site promoters to come forward with their suggestions for development.

Brownfield sites such as those in Fareham town centre and the potential regeneration of the town centre will be key to meeting the increased demand for housing, although developers are likely to put pressure on the Council to release greenfield sites.

Residents throughout Fareham are being urged to make their views known - there will be a series of consultations during 2016 and it is vital that people have their say on what is being proposed before any decisions are made.